


The Ingredients to find our happiness

by fourangers



Category: Naruto
Genre: Comedy, Kushina is still the nine-tails jinchuuriki, Let's just say I removed Obito invading Konoha, M/M, Romance, alternative reality, arranged marriage between Naruto and Sasuke, badass!Kushina, ninjaverse, so no Uchiha massacre
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 08:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5999335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fourangers/pseuds/fourangers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an alternative reality, Mikoto and Kushina arranged a marriage between their very unwilling sons, Sasuke and Naruto. Meanwhile, the relations between Uchiha and Konoha were becoming increasingly strained, attracting possible threats from outside. Will Naruto and Sasuke be able to break this engagement or other emotions might wedge their way into their close friendship? SasuNaruSasu</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ingredients to find our happiness

"Target encountered. Proximity around 5 meters, 7 o' clock."

"Roger that. Target on 1 meter, 10 o' clock by my side. Engage battle?"

"Engaging. Katon: Gokakyuu no jutsu!"

"Enemy dodged, approaching closely, preparing counter-attack!"

"Be careful! I'll start a Rasen—"

"Kyaaa!"

"Katon no jutsu! Naruto, stop at once, your wind element will only strengthen his jutsu!"

"The target's eyes have changed color, possible doujutsu! I say, possible doujutsu!"

"It's Sharingan."

"R—can you confirm this?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Suiton: Hanhoryuu!"

"Good one Sakura-chan!"

"Raikiri!"

"Fuck! Incoming of Katon jutsu, dodge!"

"I'm going to use Ja no Kuchi to immobilize him!"

"Alright, I'll distract him, while Naruto stays behind you for back up—"

"I'll support her to capture the target."

"Wha—are you sure?"

"Yes."

"W-well…here goes nothing!"

The shinobis scattered, disappearing in a swirl of leaves while the enemy tensed, poised to attack. A soft echo of feet landing prompted him to dash forward, noisy clinks of kunai clashing as they exchanged punches and somersaults, jumping few steps backwards, the foe puffing out his chest. Another ball of fire was expelled from his mouth, the other ninja dodged. Appearing out from the flames, shurikens flew at rapid speed towards the target, leaving thin gashes on his pale skin.

Two bunshins approached him with a series of tentative grapples, though the enemy dispelled them quickly. He crouched on a nearby branch to take a breath when he heard:

"Ja no Kuchi!" A gigantic stream of water with the form of serpent appeared in front of him, chasing and engulfing his body, when a fuuma shuriken flew with strings attached to it, firmly enveloping his torso and rendering him immobile.

The enemy fell with a curse as the team landed in front of him, activating his red-colored eyes.

"It's not going to work." One the team members snarled and bound him with chakra chains, exhausting his body and returning to his usual coal hue.

"Dammit you leaf ninjas! You might have captured me now but I'll swear I'll have my revenge really soon!"

One of the ninjas sauntered closer with his hands in the pockets, his voice gruff and observant. "…so you're the criminal nin who has been attacking and killing most Konoha villagers and ninjas in the neighboring area?"

"Heh… and I'm proud that I teared off their limbs and used their blood to cleanse the Uchiha's clan name! We're not accepting any longer this long abuse that Konoha had forced upon my clan. The Uchiha clan will eliminate everyone who stands in our way and especially that wretched village who stained our pride!"

Those words immediately prompted the Konoha shinobis to tense in incredulity and anger, lips curling in distaste as one approached with his fists clenched. One hand deterred the blond ninja as he muttered.

"You say that you have suffered injustice from Konoha…and yet there are still members of the Uchiha clan who lives in complete harmony with the rest of the villagers."

He spat distastefully. "Those are nothing but traitors of the Uchiha clan, too blinded by the comforts that Konoha enticed them and ignorant to the way we're being humiliated by the higher-ups."

"No, Konoha is making an effort of inclusion of our clan while pacifying all possible tension. They are giving concessions to the Uchiha Clan as every citizen of Konoha strives to live without suffering from prejudice or ostracism. Please listen to us when we promise that Konoha won't leave the Uchiha Clan on the sidelines nor dirty our name or insult our pride."

The ninja furrowed his eyebrows suspiciously and grunted. "What kind of guarantees you're giving to me? And how would you even understand what the Uchiha clan has been through huh?"

"Because…I'm also an Uchiha." Grey colored iris bled to red as tomoes span around the pupil. "Fellow clan member."

The criminal nin gaped in shock for brief seconds before he scoffed. "Another traitor."

"Hey! Don't talk about Sasuke like that!" Cerulean eyes narrowed in fury, stepping forward ready to defend his friend.

"Uchiha Sasuke? As in Uchiha Sasuke who is currently engaged to Naruto from the Uzumaki clan?" From this enquiry, the young men shifted uncomfortably while the kunoichi grinned.

"Sounds like your engagement is so famous that even criminal nins knows about it." She cooed teasingly.

"What a fucking nightmare…" Mumbling, he massaged his golden eyebrows in vexation.

"Hn." The dark-haired nin however, placed a hand on his waist in feigned nonchalance. The oldest member of the team picked a book from his pocket and leaned on a nearby tree, reading while occasionally giggling.

"You're the worst scum of the Earth then…" The criminal snarled. "Whoring yourself to that village and bending yourselves to that inferior Uzumaki clan! And you consider yourself an Uchiha?! Cooperating with those insignificant insects, engaged with that foul blood that—" He choked in mid-sentence when Naruto hand chopped his nape, falling to the ground.

Deadpanned eyes stared at miffed blue ones as Naruto shrugged. "What? I thought that the mission was to take him down, not to listen to his boring monologue."

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

_The ingredients to find our happiness_

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

The journey back to the village was such a paaaaaaaaaaain. Not only because Naruto had to endure the cuffed ninja complaining and spouting more hateful speeches while Naruto was tempted to stuff his dirtiest ninja sandal on his mouth (he stared in apprehension, studying Sasuke's face, but his friend appeared to be unperturbed by this whole situation), but also because Sakura kept giggling and beaming knowingly, making suggestive comments and attempting to shove Naruto closer to Sasuke. Kakashi, the supposed 'team-leader' only kept his eyes buried in his Icha Icha book.

"Naruto! Welcome back!" A boisterous voice boomed in the middle of the crowd, attracting the attention from most people nearby as a hand energetically waved back.

"Mom! I'm home!" Naruto eagerly approached close to Kushina, as she messed his golden hair.

Kushina nodded as a greeting to the rest of her son's team and said. "So how was the mission? He's the criminal?"

"Yes, Kushina-san. He's a rogue Uchiha." Kakashi rebutted, while forcefully pushing the prisoner to his knees on the ground.

Kushina pursed her lips while crossing her arms, until she lifted a mollifying smile towards Sasuke. "Then Sasuke-kun, can you ask your father about this once you're home? Also, please ask him to go to the Hokage's office as soon as he can too."

Sasuke nodded and bowed politely in response. With a quick wave of fingers, Kakashi was the first to go, teleporting himself and the prisoner out of sight. Kushina beamed as she observed the teens relaxing and drinking some beverages.

"Well, aside that, was there any incident out of ordinary? Do you guys need healing or stitches or anything like that?"

Sakura approached the Uzumaki matriarch with a playful beam curling on her lips as she declared. "Kushina-sama…The rogue nin actually knew that Sasuke-kun is engaged to Naruto, isn't this great?"

Kushina gushed. "Really? Success!"

"Ugh, this is all your fault mom." Naruto whined, a visible grimace showing on his face. "Starting with this engagement crap before we were even born, and you didn't even ask me if I was ok with this! I don't want to be with this bastard Sasuke!"

Sasuke snorted, opening the cap of his water bottle. "The feeling is mutual. As if I want to spend the rest of my life with a clumsy total dumbass like you."

Naruto snarled, grabbing the water bottle from his friend's hand. "Say what! Asshole!"

Seeing the oh-so-familiar bantering between those two, Kushina sighed with her hands on her hips and muttered. "Geez, fighting again boys? Now hurry up and make up." She widened a wicked grin, grabbing the back of each head.

Naruto immediately widened his eyes, already sensing the impending doom. "No wait, I don't wan—" Too late, Kushina already crushed their skulls, nose and mouths together into a very painful kiss. Both young men flailed and attempted to free from her unyielding grasp, but Kushina maintained their faces for couple of minutes till she released them, as they gasped for air and spat in disgust.

"Now, wasn't this delightful?" She beamed.

"Ugh, hell no." Naruto muttered, frantically wiping his lips.

Kushina tooted in disapproval. "It seems that you didn't learn your lesson enough. Here comes the second round!" She pushed Naruto's head towards Sasuke's face but with the collision, her son suddenly disappeared in a poof.

Sasuke whispered a muffled curse as he also prepared to bolt away. However, strong chakra chains enveloped him and pulled him to the ground as his onyx eyes stared in mild horror a menacing aura surrounding Kushina, nine strands of red hair whipping back and forth.

"So I guess my foolish son dared to trick his own mother by using kage bunshin huh…I suppose you're also a bunshin." With a weak nod coming from the littlest Uchiha, Kushina widened a maniacal smile, cracking her knuckles. "Good, this gives me plenty of time to give enough information to your original body. Be prepared."

On the other side of the town, Sasuke couldn't contain a shiver once his bunshin was expelled. Years of knowing Naruto's mother; she surely had her sweet side, but once you tipped outside of her head she could be a very frightening individual. "Your mother is really angry with you." Sasuke informed to his ditsy friend.

Naruto frowned and continued to jump between rooftops, replying. "It's not my fault she's so pushy. God, you still taste of tomatoes." He complained, receiving the last memories of his kage bunshin.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I find it incredible that you could actually notice the taste of my lips when all I can remember was how my head smarted and my nose hurt."

He received a haughty chortle from Naruto. "Well, I'm not a fragile and weak doll like you, I'm made of resilient material."

"You mean, you're thick-skulled." Sasuke deadpanned.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I—Wait a minute you bastard!"

"By the way" Sasuke interrupted. "your mother said that you better show up tonight's event in the Uchiha compounds or she'll eat fishcakes for dinner."

Naruto harrumphed loudly. "Pft, why should I even do this when I'm sure she's going to use this opportunity to nag me and shove our heads for another annoying kiss!"

"I strongly suggest you obeying her."

There was a long pause while the blond man shuddered until he settled with another snort. "I'm not scared of her!"

Graphite eyes rolled in mild annoyance as Sasuke said. "I should get going. Unlike you, I still have to be on tonight's event due to obligations of the clan. Have fun fleeing from your mother's wrath."

"I'm not going to flee from her, hey!" Naruto protested as his friend ignored him and parted ways.

Grumbling to himself, Naruto arrived at his home, opening the door with the automatic greeting. "I'm home."

"Ah, welcome back son." A lulling gruff voice came from the kitchen, as cerulean eyes raised to meet another pair of eyes that contained the same shade of blue.

Yondaime Hokage, the strongest ninja in existence and his father. Everyone admired his strength, praised his leadership and his excellent strategic skills. All ninja villages respected him and everyone knew his imposing name. Minato is a leader, a role model, a legend! He's…he's…

"Dad…" Naruto quirked an eyebrow, softly sighing. "You're wearing a pink apron."

Minato smiled, nodding. "This apron is excellent for house chores and washing the dishes. Your mother knows how to choose well."

Naruto shook his head, if only people saw him wearing this ridiculous apron, they would never believe that this is the famous Yellow Flash from Konoha. And it's almost completely crazy how much he's so whipped by Kushina that Naruto firmly believed that his mother wore the pants in that relationship.

Naruto still loved his father nevertheless, always asking for advice when needed since Minato was more level-headed and mature in comparison to Kushina. While with Kushina he had a partner in crime from their pranks and childish competitions, Naruto had always entrusted his father for any adult opinion.

"Mom didn't return yet?" Naruto didn't identify her chakra nearby but he still preferred some confirmation.

"No, she's helping organizing tonight's event with Mikoto-san." Minato answered. Naruto pumped his fist in relief, while his father continued. "I should go too once I'm done here. Naruto, you're going with me right?"

"Should I? I know what mom is trying to do, I've heard about it. She's doing some sort of formalization of the engagement between Sasuke and I, and I'm so not going there." Naruto groaned, slumping his shoulders.

"Oh, not really formalization, but it's something related to your engagement Naruto." Minato said while wiping a plate. "Your mother specifically asked for you to go."

"Ugh. Is this one of your and mom's political maneuvers that I have to participate?"

"Yes. There are several important Uchiha clan members there and other diplomats from Cloud village. You'll help us plenty if you showed how close you are with Sasuke-kun."

"Sasuke-bastard is my best friend, I can't see him as my fiancé. Why do I—"

"Naruto." Minato curled a smile that left no room for protest. "Please?"

Half an hour later, Naruto was still adjusting his kimono with a disgruntled face. Once they have arrived at Sasuke's home, Mikoto appeared with a sweet smile that lightened most of his mood and Naruto greeted her back with a wide grin, receiving a hug in response.

"I would watch out if I were you. Kushina had left some traps that would activate with your chakra signature Naruto-kun." Mikoto giggled as she deactivated one that almost landed on Naruto's foot.

Oh great. Sounds like his mother was still sore from today's incident. Naruto removed a fuuda from the wall, but it still exploded with flour flying all over his face, as he coughed while fanning away with his hand. At least it's only flour, last time Kushina pranked her own son Naruto had multi-colored hair with sprinkled sparkles all over his tanned skin. Naruto dodged a suspicious open scroll nearby, then jumped from several traps laid on the floor. His mom might be good, but he's the superior prankster! Minato though had never intervened considering amusingly cute, not to mention that it was a nice way to hone his son's reflexes.

Naruto suddenly spotted a red head from far away, as he subtly turned to another direction to escape from Kushina's detection.

"Naruto, come here already."

His body froze from the command, his head slowly turning around to see his mother smiling while sending death threats through her amethyst eyes. A soft sigh escaped from Naruto's lips, as he approached with a polite bow to the present party.

"Well, Raikage-sama and Killer Bee-san, I present you my son, Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto, meet Raikage-sama and Killer Bee."

The Raikage narrowed his eyes. "He's not red-haired."

Naruto instinctively tugged his golden hair, but Kushina pulled him close, making an impatient noise with her mouth. "Yes, he got most of his looks from his father and I don't see any problem about this." She turned to face her son as she declared. "Naruto, I'm going to the Cloud Village for a while, you understand me? Probably will return after some weeks or so."

Naruto was slightly taken aback as he responded. "What? Why? Does dad know about this?"

"Yes, he's the one who suggested so we can strengthen ties between those two villages. You see…Killer Bee has a…" Kushina breathed in for a long pause, proceeding. "Special liability in which I also share, but I have my chakra to help him out control such liability."

Something inside him clicked. " _He's a jinchuuriki just like mom._ " Now everything made sense, from the way her mother was familiar with Killer Bee to Raikage's attitude.

"And where's your son's fiancé?" Raikage muttered, in apparent indifference.

Naruto felt an automatic protest bursting out from his mouth. "He's—"

"I'm pretty sure he's close. Naruto, could you get Sasuke-kun for us?" Kushina interrupted her son swiftly, nudging him forward.

Naruto noticed this cue to leave the conversation, as he went to look for his friend. He might not be the brightest crayon in the box, but he understood the positions of power his parents held and his own political implications once he's the son of a Tailed-Beast holder and a Hokage. Right now, whatever political struggle his mother and the Cloud delegation might be exchanging, Naruto would definitely not pose as a disadvantage to Kushina.

Soon enough, Naruto saw Sasuke on the other side of the living room, chatting with some of his clan members. Brightening up, he walked towards his friend, though didn't notice a booby trap activating once he was close to Sasuke, waving his head and calling for his attention:

"Hey, SasukeeeeEEeeEEE????" An invisible hand all of sudden pushed him forward, making him trip over Sasuke as their lips were tightly sealed.

Their foreheads also clashed loudly, nose bumping and teeth clattering while Sasuke thinned his lips in grimace. Naruto attempted to pry away from his friend but that invisible force just keep pushing him forward. Seriously! He just can't understand how the fuck he would ever want his best friend as his fiancé! He couldn't see Sasuke in _that_ way, and what might be the best example to show than those disastrous kisses? Naruto had always imagined that kisses should be delightful, nice and soft, but not feeling his skull being crushed, his lips bumping with hard teeth and desiring to spit in disgust for the hundredth time once the kiss was over. Oh yeah, did he also mention that his lungs are on fire?

"Blech!" Naruto gasped rapidly to recover his breath.

"Usuratonkachi, what—" Sasuke ended his tirade when Naruto grabbed by his arm and moved away from scene. Sasuke scanned around the area and noticed specific prying eyes next to Naruto's mother, as they raised eyebrows unimpressed, returning to talk with Kushina. "What's the matter with them?"

"I don't know…but it doesn't seem to be anything good." Naruto muttered, observing as his father joined the group. Something on his gut told him that he should be careful from now on.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

Few days later, Naruto was assigned to retrieve a scroll from a neighboring town. Normally this mission wouldn't be appointed to a jounin like him, but Minato asked specifically for him and Sasuke to retrieve it. Naruto didn't mind, having good relations with the mayor.

"Ah, Naruto-kun…I still remember when you used to be a baby and your father carried you around with that wide smile that would brighten almost the entire town. And look how you have grown…time surely passed." The elder lifted his wrinkled hand to pat on Naruto's shoulder. "So you're helping your father with diplomatic visits?"

"Yea—yes. He's hoping that I'll become Konoha's valuable asset in the near future." Naruto straightened up and bowed once he received the scroll. "Thank you very much."

The mayor nodded, with his hand on his chin stroking pensively. "Indeed, you're becoming your parent's pride and joy. Hopefully you'll become a Hokage as good as your father."

Staring at his blond friend, Sasuke recognized the way Naruto's smile was restrained, the corner of his eyes tightening. Naruto bid a formal farewell to the mayor, walking back to Konoha.

"Is something bothering you?"

Blue eyes blinked surprised from the enquiry, turning to stare at Sasuke's solemn face. Strolling alone on that deserted street, with breeze refreshing their faces as trees gently swaying on that bright blue sky, this somehow gave Naruto the confidence to confess.

"It's just…this is happening more frequently lately."

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. "What is happening more frequently?"

"People expecting things from me." Naruto shook his head. "I mean, not that. I'm happy that there are expectations on me. It's just that people aren't expecting something from me, they are just expecting me to be exactly like my father."

"…I see."

Naruto hurried to correct some issues. "And it's not that I don't want to be like my father, I'm proud being the Hokage's son and there are many things where I use my dad as inspiration but…" He scratched his head. "I dunno, no one asked how am I going to rule Konoha, nobody asked what are my plans to do it, what I want to change or improve, what are my visions. No one asked about my dream. They—"

"They just want a carbon copy of your father." Sasuke completed the sentence.

There was a awkward pause falling between them until Naruto said. "Yeah. How did you know?"

Sasuke snorted. "Being Itachi's little brother? Itachi, the most brilliant genius of the entire Uchiha clan's history? Itachi, anbu captain at 13? Itachi, rumored to be Hokage level and is definitely one of the strongest ninjas in our history?"

Ah. Ah yeah…Naruto rubbed the back of his neck as he muttered sheepishly. "Yeah, I have forgotten 'bout that…dunno, I'm so used spending more time with you than with Itachi-niisan that I never saw you in that way. Sorry if I didn't notice people labeling you like that."

"Don't worry, there weren't many people…well, some are members of my clan." Sasuke mumbled to himself. "It's mostly in my house."

Naruto automatically grimaced in response, remembering the strict, austere environment and Fugaku's somber eyes settling heavily in the room. "You don't have to be bothered so much about this…"

"No…? Everything I have done, he did better. He achieved more accomplishments, he received more praise and…won my father's respect." His voice lowered in self-deprecation. "How am I going to surpass him if there's nothing to be surpassed?"

"Your dad is just…complicated, I guess." Naruto shrugged uncomfortably. "Just like me, everyone wants to use someone important as a source of inspiration which is not bad, but…it's not exactly how we want it. You don't have to be better than your brother Sasuke…just different. I'm sure you'll be able to find some abilities that Itachi-niisan doesn't possess."

Naruto received a wordless response from Sasuke, though the subtle ember of gratitude glowing beneath his graphite eyes was enough reassure Naruto, that his message was well received.

"While me on the other hand, I'm going to be the awesomest Hokage! I'll be a better Hokage than my dad, just you wait! I've always wanted to explore the world and talk to everyone, and then really make a difference in reinforcing ties between all ninja villages."

"You noticed…?"

"That the main ninja villages are still in power struggle even if we're living in a peaceful era? Yeah, I noticed." Naruto scoffed. "They are just a bunch of old farts, still used with war and bitter about the past. I'm going to create a new generation, that it's not going to be affected by them, and create genuine bonds of friendship."

"Sounds like a good plan. I'll be at your back supporting you then." Sasuke snorted, crossing his arms.

Naruto actually took few moments to recover his voice, staring flabbergasted at his friend. "You…actually believe in me?"

Sasuke frowned, and then settled with an awkward shrug. "I'm your best friend."

It wasn't difficult to be surrounded by a bubbling feeling of warm gratitude, a wide smile settling on his lips. Naruto nodded and threw an arm around Sasuke's shoulder, even if his stoic friend let out a feigned sigh in response.

"Alright then! So what's _your_ dream then bastard?"

Sasuke paused contemplating until he muttered carefully. "I want to restore the honor of my clan."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You've been noticing this lately Naruto. That there's a struggle between the some Konoha villagers and the Uchiha Clan, even if our parents have been trying to fix this as much as possible. From our side people are complaining that we can't get a respectable position of power in Konoha, others are saying that we're too power hungry. This is starting to get out of control."

Speechless, Naruto knew that what Sasuke was saying was true. It had gotten so ugly that recently he had been noticing people whispering on Sasuke's back. Not the same noise when fangirls would squeal whenever they were together, but it was that low hissing that made his stomach curl unpleasantly.

"There are so many Uchiha members who are so dissatisfied that they even deflected from Konoha and became rogue nins, just like that ninja that we captured few days ago. I actually heard a crazy hoax that there are some Uchihas working for Madara."

"Madara? But isn't he one of the founders of Konohagakure? Didn't this happen like 100 years ago?"

Sasuke scoffed. "Exactly. This is just crazy, I'm pretty sure that lunatic is already dead. But there are still bunch of foolish people who actually fell for this lie. We're trying to deal with those rogue nins but people are still blaming us for this, and I don't know how long we'll be able to hold on. That's why I want to find a way to revert this situation, to regain the trust from everyone in Konoha and restore the pride of the Uchiha clan."

"Then, once I'm Hokage, I'll make sure I'll help you out whenever I can. This era is gonna be ours Sasuke, we'll make a difference. I believe in you."

Sasuke took a while to absorb those words, until he uttered back. "…hn."

"You're welcome you bastard." Naruto shook his head in mild amusement, having already acquired the knowledge of understanding Sasuke-ese over the years.

They walked in companionable silence, appreciating the fact that their bonds evolved to the point that no words were needed to convey their feelings. It reassured Naruto that Sasuke always brought him a calmer and reflective side, stopping his usual impulsive nature. Ever since they were kids they were inseparable, as Sasuke always were able to absorb his hyperactivity in his own special way, even if most parents and other kids thought that Naruto was uncontrollable. As years passed by, their foundation had solidified as one filled the gap of the other, matching their personalities.

"You know…thanks, Sasuke." Naruto suddenly said, generating a rise of eyebrow coming from his stoic friend. "For everything. I kinda didn't want to tell this to anyone, because I don't wanted people criticizing me for not wanting to be like my dad."

Unbeknownst to himself, he placed his hand on his chest and continued:

"But I'm glad that I told this to you. That you listened to me and even shared my pain, I feel that…like, this huge load off my chest." A warm happiness glowed on his grinning face, his lips stretching from cheek to cheek. "I'm really glad that you're my best friend."

Onyx eyes simply kept staring at Naruto, too entranced on that wide smile to utter any word back. After few long seconds, Sasuke managed to mutter back. "You're welcome."

Naruto placed a carefree arm on Sasuke's shoulder, leaning his body on his friend and earning a grunt that he was heavy while the blond nin purposely ignored Sasuke's complaint. "You might be my best friend, but I definitely don't want to marry you bastard."

Sasuke pushed Naruto aside with a snort.

"I'm serious! Ugh, now here's one of my top goals written on my list. I don't want your mom and my mom controlling and deciding who we should marry! I have made brilliant strategies to destroy their plans—"

"That either backfired, either made your mom pissed, or it simply didn't work. Don't forget that one time that you managed to make **my** mother angry, that was one of the most traumatizing moments in my life." Sasuke grouched.

Naruto shivered in agreement. "Yeah…ok. But this doesn't fit with all this conversation we just had had! I won't let whatever outside forces controlling my life, I swear I'll break this engagement! I want to date you know! A normal date with a normal girl, that's all I'm asking!"

"You already have someone in mind?" Sasuke asked, curious unbeknownst to himself.

"Nah, not really, not anyone in specific. Buuuut…I really do wish I could find a nice, pretty brunette. With a delicate face, a sweet smile and nice body." Naruto made a crude gesture of his hands moving around the chest area. "And big boobs. Big boobs and nice ass."

Sasuke made a disgusted noise on the back of his throat. "Really usuratonkachi? The last thing I want to hear is you acting like a hormonal teenager."

"Hey! It's not like I ever had any chance to begin with, I wanted to date a girl but I couldn't and it wasn't from the lack of trying!" Naruto protested. "My mom ruined everything the first day when we went to the academy and shoved our heads together for the first time in front of the entire classroom! And every girl in that village believe that we're a lovey-dovey couple and most of them likes to see us together! I haven't had any chance to ask anyone out because I was shotdown! So excuse me when I'm acting like that when I didn't have the opportunity to find anyone specific ok?!"

"Still, that doesn't excuse you to only care for physical appearance, dumbas." Sasuke snorted.

Naruto crossed his arms in defiance and grumbled. "Yeah, well then, do you have any girl in mind then?"

"No, and unlike you, I'm not going to limit myself over gender. What I'm looking is their personality, someone who is compatible with me." Sasuke sniffed imperiously, acquiring that superior look that generated an automatic roll of blue eyes. "I want to find someone who can fully understand me, who can accept my qualities as well as my flaws, who knows me from inside out."

As Sasuke was listing all the qualities, his tone was slowly morphing from nonchalant to pensive. He resumed saying his thoughts out loud, eyebrows furrowed.

"This person will be able to see past myself, I'll be able to open myself easily to such person, share my thoughts and there are no barriers between us…This person will be the only one who can reach me in an emotional level, who can complete me, comprehend me and complement me unlike any…one…else…"

And now Sasuke's face showed a mixture of epiphany and confusion, his eyes widened as his vision was zeroed towards Naruto. The latter blinked confusedly, replying.

"Wow…sounds like this person is really worthwhile huh?"

Sasuke's jaw was slightly agape, his eyes still wide and confused. "I…guess…"

"We're still young and we have a lifetime ahead, so I'm sure you'll meet the ideal partner sooner and later." Naruto responded, oblivious to the turmoil that was passing through Sasuke's mind.

Sasuke cleared his throat, trying to concentrate on the task at hand. "You're right…"

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

Naruto scratched the back of his neck as Mikoto has informed that, once again, Sasuke wasn't home but didn't have any mission today so he was probably strolling somewhere in Konoha. This shouldn't be a strange occurrence, but Naruto had barely seen his best friend for over three months. At first, Naruto thought that his workaholic bastard simply had taken more missions than the usual though he was bewildered that Sasuke didn't invite him to tag along. Whenever he invited Sasuke to spar or to spend the day with him, either Sasuke would decline the offer giving the excuse that he was busy, either he wouldn't stay too long for whatever reasons. In overall he looked really distracted, always avoiding his gaze, his mind just wasn't in the game.

Although Naruto really wanted to be reasonable and give Sasuke space that he needed or whatever Sasuke was going through those months, the truth was that Naruto missed him **badly.** They spent their lives almost attached to the hip (despite all the insinuations coming from Kushina that they looked like a couple) and it was the first time Sasuke had showed such skittish behavior, so it was completely odd for him not being able to see the dark-haired nin on a frequent basis. If Naruto was more sincere to himself, he would admit that without Sasuke he almost felt…incomplete.

So after frustrating months unable to track Sasuke down as his friend kept continuously filling his schedule with mission after mission, Sasuke finally had some days off. In the meantime, Minato gave Naruto the mission of cleaning up Konoha's secret archive. Minato only entrusted such job to few selected, since it contained valuable s-class jutsus, and above all else, most details of Kushina's seal. The room was enormous nevertheless, so Naruto was allowed to ask for help provide it was someone Minato trusted.

Blue eyes narrowed when he spot a familiar duck-butt hair from afar. Sasuke always had the advantage of having keener senses in spotting chakra, Naruto had some cards on his own nevertheless. He began making hand signs to a jutsu.

Sasuke tensed, noticing his presence, his legs positioned ready to bolt. In terms of miliseconds though, Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him and created two clones that grabbed him by his arms and secured him tightly.

"How…did you…" Sasuke growled, struggling to free himself from Naruto's clutches.

"Hiraishin no jutsu! (flying thunder god technique) I put a seal on you." Naruto grinned victoriously.

Sasuke's jaw dropped, gobsmacked. "You did…what?!"

"Oh c'mon, calm down. I was still training using it so I decided to practice on you. Good thing it worked!" With a satisfied nod, Naruto dispelled his clones and observed Sasuke rising, wiping his pants.

"Any reason you had to ambush me like that usuratonkachi?" There was an uncharacteristic bitterness in Sasuke's tone had taken Naruto slightly aback.

Sheepish, Naruto muttered scratching his head. "Um so…you free today?"

Sasuke thinned his lips, turning his head to stare at some random spot on the ground. "Not…really."

"No? Bullshit, I know that you don't have any mission those three days. If you want to rest, that's ok, but you can't spare some time with me, your buddy?!" Naruto complained.

A heavy sigh exhaled from Sasuke, as he grumbled. "I'm busy."

"Really? You're just avoiding me lately, aren't you? I barely saw you for over three months! C'mon, talk to me! Did I piss you off some way or did I do something wrong? You can tell me your problems you know!"

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows irritated, as Naruto was equally growing impatient that Sasuke still didn't raise his eyes to meet his gaze. "It's nothing, I'm not avoiding you."

That fucking bastard stubborn asshole…Naruto huffed, squaring his shoulders as the scroll he was holding crunched slightly from his hand. "Fine then, than as a direct order from the Hokage, you have a new mission of cleaning Konoha's secret files with me."

From the incredulous expression widening in Sasuke's eyes gave a tinge of guilt in Naruto's heart, but he was far too pissed to really care. He knew that he just used a dirty tactic, though if this was the only way to get his fucking bastard to speak, then so be it. He threw the scroll and Sasuke caught it before it would smack on his chest, as he turned around and jumped towards the Hokage tower, knowing that his friend would follow behind, in obedience to his father's request.

Once Minato gave them the key as well as the instructions to lift the barriers, they went to the appointed room with all necessary cleaning utensils ready. Naruto noticed the questioning glance that his father threw before they exited the Hokage's office, though Sasuke simply kept avoiding his gaze the entire time.

They began cleaning the scrolls, picking them up from book shelves and unrolling to check its condition. Ancient scrolls they had left aside to restore it later on, dirtied scrolls they removed the dust. Everything was done with an awkward silence, something that was unusual and nerve-racking for Naruto.

"Well, aren't you gonna tell me what's your problem now?" Naruto grumbled, dusting off some shelves.

Sasuke simply didn't answer, didn't even utter his usual 'hn' back at him, apparently engrossed in cataloging the scrolls and placing on a cleaner shelf.

"C'mon, can you just tell me what is going on here? I made a mistake didn't I? Can you just tell me so I can try fixing it up or are you just gonna keep sulking?" Naruto snapped.

"I'm not sulking and there's nothing wrong here."

Naruto threw heavy books to the table, a loud violent noise thundering in the room. "Sasuke! You're not fooling me man, I know that there's something wrong with you! I know you! Stop friggin' lying to me and just fucking tell me, you bastard!" Naruto snarled, opening the cover, barely containing his fury.

While Sasuke was climbing the stairs to grab other scrolls, he yelled back. "I told you there's nothing wrong!"

"It's from that conversation we had three months ago, wasn't it? When we talked about my dad and Itachi and we shared our dreams. It is, isn't it?!" Naruto noticed a subtle grimace on the corner of Sasuke's lips, confirming his suspicions. "I said something wrong there? Did I offend you in any way? C'mon dude, just tell me! Whatever I did, I'm sorry ok?! Can't you just…say whatever mistake I did?"

Staring from below, Naruto noticed a pale hand clenching and unclenching from nervousness, Sasuke's obvious torn expression also tugged his heart. He really wanted to fix this, Naruto almost desperately wanted to mend this friendship by whatever means necessary. And despite how much he attempted not to be affected, it really broke him apart that his best friend wasn’t willing open himself to him.

"Sasuke…you don't trust me anymore…?"

This heartbroken whisper immediately broke Sasuke out of his stupor as he hastily climbed down the stairs, desiring to reach his blond friend. "Naruto, I—"

However, in his hurry, Sasuke lost his balance, the stair wobbling and threatening to fall to the ground. Sensing this impending disaster, Naruto instinctively held the stair, but it only resulted to let all the weight leaning on his side as it fell on him; Sasuke, stair, scrolls and all.

Naruto's head was still smarting from the fall, his eyes screwed in pain as he waited for the dust to clear up. He slowly opened his eyelids, noticing a heavy weight draped on his body. He identified such weight to be Sasuke, though he was bewildered by the soft brush touching on his lips. His vision struggled to sharpen until identified that this familiar sensation was actually Sasuke's lips landing onto his.

Both young men widened their eyes as they noticed that they had finally shared their first (official) accidental kiss. Comparing to all their previous kisses in which Kushina literally crushed them together, this experience was surreal and completely different. Naruto blinked as neither dared to move even further, fearful that whatever they do might change their dynamics entirely. Despite the clumsiness of the fall and the initial pain, their heads and their noses didn't bump in that usual forceful way his mother did to both of them, there was only a gentle pressure of Sasuke's mouth landing on his. And in this uncommon situation let other emotions wedging their way in, as Naruto reluctantly felt that this kiss was rather pleasant. Feeling the slightly rough texture of Sasuke's lips and noticing that, again, he tasted of tomatoes.

The longer they stood frozen, the longer however, it increased Naruto's uneasiness. Some part of his mind really wanted for Sasuke to stand up and apologize, or simply smirk and brush it off, categorizing this accidental kiss as many others they had shared before. Onyx eyes were still staring straight towards his own shocked blue, as they couldn't dare to interrupt whatever emotions were mutating between them. With Sasuke's body close to him, Naruto couldn't help but to start noticing details that he shouldn't ever notice on his best friend before. The temperature of his body, the smooth texture of his alabaster skin, his scent, his dark bangs slightly shadowing his graphite colored eyes. One of his leg shifted as Naruto tensed in response.

However, another inexplicable turn of events happened, as Sasuke instead of broadening the gap; he had relaxed his limbs, as if he was growing accustomed to this situation. Sasuke didn't move his lips yet, but Naruto could feel of his steady breath fanning his face from his nose. He gulped dryly, his heartbeats thudding loudly from his chest when his dark eyes acquired a smoldering hue. He could feel most of the heat concentrating all over his face, and when Sasuke shifted again, a pleasurable tingle started coiling on his stomach. Naruto inhaled sharply, his senses acutely noticing that his friend's mouth massaged his upper lip gently, staring with his eyes half-mast. Naruto's eyelids threatened to close when Sasuke placed his arms on each side of his head and—

"Naruto!" "Son?" Minato and Kushina shouted as they opened the door.

"Y-yeah!" They heard loud sounds of objects flying around and bodies bumping on the shelves as there were a flurry of curses and mumbles.

"Where are you? Is Sasuke-kun with you?"

"We're on the third row, organizing some scrolls!" Was the muffled reply as Kushina and Minato still heard some weird noises.

When they finally spotted the young men, they both raised their eyebrows from their flustered appearance. Before Naruto could start bringing up any excuse, Minato said.

"Your mother and I just wanted to recheck some details of a jutsu, you two can rest outside for now."

"'kays…" Naruto resisted the urge to bolt from this place.

His lips were still tingling. His first instinct was to frantically rub his mouth while gagging in disgust just like many times before, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to do it. This was…just, what was that? Naruto brought his fingers to slide through his mouth.

He just couldn't understand…what had happened just now.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

Naruto let out an agonized sigh, bashing his head on his pillow as he let out a muffled scream. It's been over a week but that blasted kiss kept playing over and over in his mind. Now it was Naruto's turn to ignore or avoid his best friend. How could he even try facing Sasuke after all this?

He heard a soft knock and Kushina's red hair popping out from his door.

"Naruto, can you come here to the dinner table? I wanted to talk with you."

Bewildered, he obeyed his mother, sitting while he twiddled his fingers, slowly growing apprehensive from Kushina's solemn expression as she studied his son.

"Well, Naruto. First I'm going to ask. Are you really dissatisfied with your engagement with Sasuke-kun?"

"…what?" Naruto dropped his hands to stare flabbergasted at his mother. "Why are you asking me this?"

Kushina sighed softly, linking her hands and placing on the table. "Because you two are adults now and I have been thinking…that it's time for you two decide if you really want to continue all this."

Naruto was torn apart. He finally had the chance to end this crazy engagement but he just couldn't bring himself to finish it. That kiss still lingered fresh in his mind, bringing a whole new dimension about their relationship that he had never noticed before. If his mother had asked this weeks ago, Naruto would have gladly grabbed this opportunity, but now he couldn't decide…

"I…don't know…" Naruto mumbled, awkwardly shrugging one shoulder. "Maybe not…"

"Well…if you're not interested in continuing this engagement, then I have to hurry up and prepare other things. Sasuke-kun has to get married no matter what." Kushina ran her fingers over her face, biting her lower lip.

The urgency of this decision made Naruto wary. "Why are you even part of this when Sasuke is not even your son? And why is Sasuke even obligated to marry someone?"

His stomach dropped a few levels when he recognized the steely gaze acquiring on Kushina's amethyst eyes. He knew that look too well; it was when his father, the Hokage, for all his brilliance in leadership wouldn't be able to manage everything so it was up to Kushina; who was more skilled with internal politics and international affairs, to take care about all this. A cold sweat ran down on his spine while Kushina perused her son.

"Naruto…do you know why we decided to make you engaged to Sasuke-kun?"

"Because…because you and Mikoto-baachan are close friends, isn't it? You both were pregnant roughly at the same time, so I thought that you decided 'cuz of this." Naruto babbled.

Kushina shook her head. "Not really…Mikoto and I are close friends, but we also did this as a deliberate political maneuver. The Uchiha clan has been estranged from Konoha for the past few years, we wanted to reinforce their ties once again. The ideal scenario was if someone who is closely related to the head of the Clan get married with someone who was part of the higher officials. In other words, Sasuke-kun and you."

"But then…why are you in a hurry—"

"Naruto, Minato and I have educated you to understand political affairs well." Kushina promptly interrupted her son with a sharp glare. "You should answer me then."

Naruto clamped his mouth shut, feeling inevitably pressured from Kushina's enquiry. He slowly muttered. "It's the Cloud village delegation that showed up months ago isn't it? And also, the latest Uchiha rogues that are running rampant."

"Yes." Kushina nodded. "I've heard that there's a group called Akatsuki being lead by those criminal nins, with Madara being the head. This is giving a bad name to the Uchiha. Meanwhile, the Uchihas living in Konoha are growing dissatisfied to the point that these news reached not only to the neighboring countries, but all the main ninja villages. I don't want to give them the impression that we're in a conflict that may cause a possible civil war. We must show that we're an unified and strong village, or else we will suffer from invasion or another ninja war."

"Then…you kept this engagement to mask this situation, but now that we grew up, you want to force us to marry?" Naruto raised his voice. "I can't believe this, you have been using us this entire time and how long you'll keep controlling our lives till you're completely satisfied?"

Kushina pounded her fist to the table, a menacing aura exuding from her as Naruto shivered in fear. She snarled. "Watch your mouth young man, I'm still your mother."

She waited till Naruto's temper had considerably cooled down, as she allowed herself to show a tinge of guilt on her eyes.

"I have never wanted to control you Naruto, we just couldn't have the luxury to show that we're weaker village to everyone else. But you're my son Naruto, I would have never forced you to do something that will make you unhappy. I would never sacrifice your freedom. That's why I asked if you're still willing to go with this engagement."

Naruto considered her words, the memories of Sasuke's kiss returning full force. He felt his cheeks heat up, so he cleared his throat, mumbling awkwardly. "Do you really have to go with this whole engagement crap? Can't you ask another more willing member of the Uchiha clan? Or any relative of yours who is already dating someone from the Uchiha clan, something like that?"

"I guess, but it would not be as effective as the Hokage's son being engaged to the head of the Uchiha clan's son. If we managed to succeed, I'm pretty sure it'll end most unsatisfied voices between villagers and Uchihas."

"Well…well…" Naruto stared at his hands, biting his inner cheek. "What if I say no?"

"Then…you know your cousin Karin, from Grass Village?" Kushina said, pouring another cup of green tea.

Karin, that crazy girl who Naruto could swear had frequent mood swings? Karin, who was a little bit too zealous over Sasuke, that Karin? Naruto frowned and responded. "Yea, I remember her, what about it?"

"She's the closest relative from our age group, so I guess she's the only alternative if you refuse this."

"But what about Sasuke's choice? You're going to give him a loveless marriage then? How can you do this to him?" Naruto protested.

Kushina sighed. "I already talked with him before and he agreed to all this."

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!"

Freezing, staring all the growing commotion happening and few onlookers staring at them, Sasuke slumped his shoulders and turned around to face his dope friend.

"What?"

Naruto twitched his eyebrow staring at Sasuke's usual apathetic glance, his hands balling ready to punch the daylights out of that bastard. He grabbed his friend's front shirt and dragged him into a more secluded part of the town.

"Why the fuck did you agree with this engagement?! I thought you hated being put in this position as much as I did!"

Sasuke exhaled a tired sigh, staring back at him. "We're adults now Naruto, it was about time I took some responsibilities for the clan."

"What?! I don't get why the fuck you're doing this when it's putting your own personal choices aside!"

"It's in within my personal choices, I agreed doing this. What about you Naruto?"

Naruto blinked bewildered. "W-what?"

"What about you Naruto, have you agreed with this engagement?"

Sasuke fixed Naruto a long gaze that made it hard to find any proper response. "I—I don't know, 'm still thinking, ya know?"

Sasuke slowly shut his eyes while musing, shaking his head. "Then, I guess I better start getting used to my new fiancée."

Something inside Naruto snapped, as he promptly grabbed Sasuke's dark shirt once again with a snarl. "You're crazy. Why would you even go through with all this? What good it'll bring you if you're marrying someone you don't even know very well?"

Sasuke lowered his gaze to one side, his mouth tightened into a thin line. "Naruto, you remembered when we talked about our dreams?"

Naruto was taken aback from this sudden question, answering back. "Yeah, I remember…what about it?"

"You asked what was my dream, and my dream is to restore the Uchiha clan's pride. And I'll be able to attain this with this engagement."

Naruto slackened his jaw, furrowing his eyebrows befuddled. "Are you serious? You're fucking out of your mind. Do you really think that a simple marriage is going to make every problem disappear in thin air?" He couldn't control the bitterness in his voice, narrowing his eyes when Sasuke grimaced in response.

"It might not be the solution to everything, but it'll definitely be the first step. I'll work hard, and maybe finally have my father's recognition—"

"What?! No, no, what the fuck!" Naruto exclaimed, shaking his head vehemently. "There's no way you're just going to sacrifice yourself just to have someone else's recognition! Are you seriously happy with this??"

Sasuke huffed, quietly acquiescing. "No, I'm not."

"Well, see?! Don't you want to have the liberty of choosing whoever you want to be with?"

Sasuke paused, muttering afterwards. "I do."

"Don't you want to see other ways to find peace between Uchiha and Konoha instead of accepting this fake relationship?"

"I do."

"Then why do you even want to be engaged to someone you barely know?! Don't you already have someone you want to spend your lifetime with?" Naruto continued his tirade.

"I do."

"Yeah, you do—wait, you really do?" Naruto gawked, his eyes bulging out of his sockets. When Sasuke steadily stared towards him with an unexpected fragility, Naruto swallowed, butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

"Yes, I do. And this person is right in front of me." Sasuke mumbled slowly, never breaking his stare towards shocked blue eyes.

Naruto opened his mouth, unable to voice any intelligible sentence. "Wait—I don't…when?"

Sasuke sighed. "Remember when you asked what kind of person I want in my life?" When he received an hesitant nod, Sasuke proceeded. "I started describing, that I wanted someone who could understand me, someone who I could trust and could easily open myself to him, someone who could accept my qualities and flaws then I realized…this person is you."

Naruto groaned, one hand frantically rubbing one side of his face. "I—ok, even if it's true, this person doesn't have—I don't have to be involved in that way with you right? This relationship doesn't have to be—"

"That's what I thought at first…that's what I almost had concluded, until that kiss had happened."

Naruto froze, wide blue eyes painfully showing his confusion and astonishment. Sasuke stood taut, clenching his hands to each side, as if he was holding himself from acting on a whim.

"Please don’t tell me that you felt nothing from that kiss. Naruto, you…" Sasuke shook his head in frustration and running his fingers through his hair. "That's how I realized Naruto."

A tense silence fell between them. Slowly, Naruto muttered in hesitation. "It was an accident Sasuke."

"Even if it was…those feelings weren't an accident for me Naruto. But I understand. That's why I'm still going through this engagement. I know that you're going to reject me, and…I can accept that. I want our friendship." A smile gradually curled on Sasuke's lips conveying so much sadness that broke Naruto's heart. "In these latest months when I kept avoiding you it felt like there was a void in my soul, it was unbearable. Whatever you decide Naruto, I'll accept it. At least let me stay by your side."

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

Minato almost jumped when his son shoved the door open, collapsing on a nearby couch.

"UuuuuuuuuuuuuuuUUUuuuuuuugh…" Naruto groaned with his face squished on the couch, frantically messing his hair.

"…Naruto? Is there any problem?" Minato raised a questioning eyebrow, while he organized his documents.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh…" Naruto simply continued making that guttural tired noises, rubbing his face on the fluffy cushions.

Staring at the visibly agitated young man, Minato did wisest thing whenever he had to deal with Uzumakis: he set them aside until they would calm down by themselves. He continued to stamp some reports, writing some notes and studying some graphics. With one watchful eye to Naruto, Minato rechecked details in Konoha's law, scribbling down some observations as he picked a cup of green tea to refresh himself. He subtly cleared his throat to draw Naruto's attention, as his son scrambled to sit properly.

Naruto still twiddled his thumbs as he squirmed from his seat. "Dad…um. You knew mom since you were kids right?" He waited for the slow nod coming from Minato and muttered. "So when was the moment when you knew that mom was _the one_? I mean, the person that you wanted to be with your entire life?"

Minato studied silently the indecision clouding Naruto's eyes, as he folded his arms to his chest in quiet reflection. "When…? I don't really remember, actually. But I remember the first time I met her…she was adjusting some stray bangs from her hair, her cheeks were so fluffy and cute. When I noticed her beautiful red hair, it almost felt like all the colors just rushed into the room, all vibrant and lively. I guess I must have fallen in love at that very moment then."

A sappy grin easily blossomed on Naruto's face, listening his father describing their first encounter, a warm affection sparkling in his eyes. Hearing how much his parents loved each other after many years of marriage was enough to tone down the raging waters in his head, grasping the knowledge that there are emotions that wouldn't wear out despite the years, relationships that wouldn't crumble through ages.

"But haven't you ever thought how much you're different from mom, that your personalities weren't compatible? You never doubted your feelings before, thought that maybe it's not exactly how you imagined before? That you got the wrong person?" Naruto asked.

Minato frowned from the onslaught of peculiar questions, as he answered with utmost sincerity. "I guess I did…sometimes. Who wouldn't? But see…I have always thought that I'm a very boring person." Minato chuckled. "When I saw Kushina, and whenever I was with Kushina, I was glad that she always managed to make someone boring like me interesting. Your mom is energetic, bright and sometimes even crazy…but that's perfect when I used to fit with the mold. In a way, she always completed me."

"But…you knew mom like, forever. Hadn't you thought that…you know, that it would be weird if you marry her? When you're close to her the entire time, and it'd be weird to suddenly have a physical attraction and those weird urges when you didn't use to look at her in that way?" Naruto blurted out, praying that Minato wouldn't connect the dots and embarrass him even further.

Whether his father comprehended the concealed questions or not, Minato didn't mention, as he settled with a simple truth.

"Naruto, whether I started feeling attracted to your mother or not, maybe it's not really important. I guess this is something that will naturally happen in time. I knew one thing for certain though…I just can't live without her."

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

"Sasuke-kun…I think you have met Karin before right?" Kushina smiled politely, presenting her distant niece to the disgruntled Uchiha.

Karin let out a squeal in delight and readily attached her arms around Sasuke. He sighed, tugging his arm in annoyance.

"Well…Sasuke-kun, how about you escort Karin to some famous sightseeings and other interesting places to visit?" Kushina patted his shoulder as Sasuke grunted in response. He stared at his prospective future fiancé who in turn, gave him big doe eyes . Sasuke shuddered inwardly.

"Wait!"

A sudden shout echoed in the street and attracted attention from most people in vicinity, as the group turned around to see an exhausted Naruto, gasping heavily to recover his air.

"…Naruto?" Kushina quirked an eyebrow from her son's crazy behavior.

"Stop." Naruto said, once he recovered enough to breathe out some intelligible words.

"Stop? Stop what?" Kushina asked bewildered.

"Stop…all this." Naruto gulped a great intake of air and mumbled. "You don't have to escort her, date her or whatever…Because…"

Naruto risked a glance, and everyone looked flabbergasted at him. He exhaled heavily, balling his hands and muttered.

"Because…"

"Because…?" Karin repeated the word slightly impatient.

"Because…" Naruto avoided looking at Sasuke's eyes, his face heating up. "Because…"

"…because?" It was Kushina's time to ask for his son to finish the sentence.

With his face blushing fire engine red, Naruto shouted. "Because…he's my fiancé!"

Collective gasps, cheers and squeals were heard the entire town. Some were even clapping in joy, catcalling and whistling. Naruto wanted to die from embarrassment.

"What do you mean by that Naruto?" Karin was the first to question irritated.

"Yes, I'm also interested to hear your explanation, young boy." Kushina enquired, though the smile playing on her lips said otherwise.

People were slowly gathering around them, some were mumbling with each other, trading gossip.

"Can we…talk about this later?" Naruto mumbled, noticing the growing commotion.

"Are you serious about that?"

Naruto turned around to see Sasuke, as the latter returned his gaze with earnest eyes.

"What you said just now…you're serious?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a slight flush, and nodded almost imperceptibly. His heart thudded out of his chest when Sasuke responded with a smile that reached warmly to his onyx eyes.

However, this moment was ruined when Sasuke returned to his usual bastard self.

"Well Naruto? I don't know your answer yet."

Naruto glared daggers, grumbling. "You know what."

"No…? Not really? I hadn't heard you saying a word about it."

On the corner of his eye Naruto saw Sakura dragging Ino to peek from afar, giggling. "Can we just…go?"

"Go? But you didn't answer me y—"

"CAN WE JUST GO SOMEWHERE ELSE BEFORE ALL THE FANGIRLS GET THEIR CAMERAS READY, YOU FUCKING BASTARD?" Naruto snarled through gritted teeth.

Sasuke chuckled, conceding his point. "Fair enough. Let's go." He clasped the tanned wrist as they turned around and sprinted away from the crowd. Naruto even managed to throw one last warning to his mother, shouting:

"Mom! Don’t you dare butting in!"

A fair amount of onlookers chased after them though, as they increased their speed to avoid detection. Naruto heard once again an amused chuckle and he had to admit that after all this commotion his heart felt lighter, more acquiesced than many days before.

"I hope you're ready for a Shunshin no jutsu." Sasuke said, linking their fingers in a firm grasp.

"Wai—I'm not read—" Naruto suddenly felt being pulled forward, his legs running quicker to adapt with the new speed. They finally landed on a secluded alley, as Naruto was flexing his limbs from the violent pull Sasuke forced on him, throwing a dirty glare to smug onyx eyes.

"Ow, what the hell usuratonkachi!" Sasuke groaned when Naruto punched his stomach, looking way more appeased for erasing Sasuke's conceited expression.

They still took a while to recover, Naruto was cracking and snapping his strained muscles as Sasuke was clutching his stomach from all the pain. Sasuke threw a questioning glance at his blond friend and Naruto felt it was time for him to explain.

"I'm still not sure about all this."

Sasuke straightened up, muttering. "Naruto…"

"I'm serious, I'm not. This is all too sudden, all too new for me. I still want to take some time…to get used to this, maybe? Okay? I just thought that…I don't know, just the idea of you marrying someone else, I couldn't accept it." Naruto explained lamely. "But that doesn't mean anything and WILL YOU QUIT LOOKING SO SMUG YOU ASSHOLE??"

Sasuke chuckled, smirking towards his frantic friend. "It can't be helped, you're just too amusing usuratonkachi." When blue eyes narrowed in ominous rage, Sasuke said. "I'm glad…that you're giving me this chance."

Naruto felt his cheeks burning once again and muttered. "Yeah whatever…I hope that this way my mom will stop crushing our skulls together."

"This, or maybe she'll just increase it thinking that she's doing us a favor."

"Ugh, I hope not…"

"But maybe we'll start enjoying it, who knows."

Naruto raised his eyes when Sasuke said with a detached tone, though a tinge of red burning on the pale cheeks betrayed his whole apparent nonchalance. Gathering all the courage he had in his arsenal, Naruto walked a couple of steps closer to Sasuke and placed his hands on his shoulders to catch his attention. He gulped dryly, his tanned hands slowly trailing upwards to cup the pale cheeks as he instinctively puckered his lips.

A hand on his chest halted his arduous advances. "Wait."

"…what?" Naruto didn't want to sound indignant, but really, what?

Sasuke turned his head to look from behind him and declared. "I would really appreciate if everybody could give us some privacy."

Naruto heard groans and mumbles from very familiar voices and widened his eyes when he saw his parents, Sasuke's parents and his big brother, his teammates, comrades, few anbus and jounins and even Teuchi; Ichikaru's ramen owner were perched on the ceilings. They slowly moved away with quite a bit of reluctance, as Kushina used this opportunity to drop the last bomb:

"You go my boy! You better top him once you're done!"

"Moooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmm—!" Naruto groaned loudly, blushing so hard that he could almost feel steam coming out of his ears.

"Well, sounds like we're not going to have any accidental kisses anymore." Sasuke said distractedly, staring as the last ogling onlookers moved out.

"And you better bet you're not going to have any if you keep showing that arrogant face, bastard."

Sasuke snorted completely unflappable, his good mood so high in the clouds that nothing could ruin it right now. He didn't protest when Naruto's hands slowly grasped his shirt, pulling him close, staring towards vivid cerulean eyes. Naruto eliminated the last gap, shutting their eyelids and being surrounded by familiar sensations in addition to newly-found emotions, once they shared their first intentional kiss at last.

Naruto concluded that if the next kisses would be as good as the current one, he wouldn't mind having more in the near future.

**Author's Note:**

> AN: This fic had left me unsatisfied because I have taken a liking over this AR, but since it's a one-shot and not a multi-chaptered fic, it felt undercooked, undeveloped. As if there are a lot of fillings and details that I set aside to finish a cake but those extra flavors are what bring the uniqueness of this fic. *sigh*
> 
> Anyways, it was still an interesting concept that I had fun writing because it's the first time I wrote Minato and Kushina and they were more entertaining to develop than I had previously expected. To the point that they started controlling the story and I kept attempting toning down their appearances in this story. I remember when Itachi said that Minato could only go so far in becoming Hokage because he had Kushina by his side. So I kinda inferred that since Minato came from a humble background, while Kushina came from an important clan, she helped Minato climb to power. Not to mention that Minato said that Kushina had always won their arguments in the past. With this information, I had fun portraying Kushina as a badass. :P


End file.
